Merchandise-display rack.



A. T. EDWARDS. MERCHANDISE DISPLAY RACK. nrmonron FILED JAN. 11, 1910.

I Patented July 26,1910.

Witnesses Inventor:

Ar ur T. E Awards.

ttorneys.

M [5m I? .BY

I 1m: NORRIS PETERS 00., wnsnmarmv, By C.

ARTHUR T. EDWARDS, OF CHEROKEE, OKLAHOMA.

MERCHANDISE-DISPLAY RACK.

Specification of Letters laten't.

Patented July 26, 1910.

Application filed January 11, 1910. Serial No. 537,465.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. EDWARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cherokee, in the county of Alfalfa and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Merchandise-Display Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction in merchandise display racks, adaptedmore especially for showing rugs, curtains, etc.; and has for its objects, to provide suitable means to permit the merchandise to be hung up and taken down therefrom without the necessity of a step-ladder, the same being accomplished by an automatic locking arrangement on movable members for holding the radial arms of the display rack at any desired height; and to construct each section of the display rack in such a manner as to permit the assortment of merchandise thereupon to be shown to the best advantage, the guide-rods or posts being pivotally mounted.

The invention further consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the preferred form of con structing this improved merchandise display rack; Fig. 2, a transverse section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3, a sectional detail showing the trigger mechanism of the rack in closed locking position; and Fig. 4-, a similar view to Fig. 3, the trigger being retracted.

This improved merchandise display rack comprises essentially one or more guidemembers or posts 5, which are pivotally secured at their opposite ends to a rack frame 6, or to the roof and floor of a building, as desired. Each of said guide-members or posts has a series of recesses or notches 7 on one of their side faces forming fixed stop members, and upon each of said guide-members or posts are movable merchandise retaining members comprising sleeves 8, having radially extending arms 9, provided, on their upper faces or edges, with suitable means for retaining the merchandise placed thereon in desired position.

As shown, each of the radial arms 9 has a plurality of pins or retainers 10, although it is obvious that other means might be employed with equal serviceability. Diagonally disposed braces 11, are secured to the Within the upper ends of the respective guide-members or posts 5 are mounted pulleys 14, over which ropes or cords 15 travel, it being understood that their inner ends are secured to the movable merchandise retaining members for permitting the same to be readily elevated and lowered, as hereafter explained. Front ropes 16 are secured, at their upper ends, to suitable trigger mechanisms 17 comprising a rack tooth preferably located at the lower ends of the movable sleeves, said triggers being positioned alongside of and in vertical alinement with the notches or recesses 7, so that when the same are brought into register therewith, they will automatically engage and seat within the same, provided there is no tension upon the ropes or cords 16.

In use and operation, the movable members comprising the sleeves and radially extending arms are first lowered upon the guide-members or posts 5, and after the merchandise, such as rugs, curtains, etc., has been suitably positioned thereupon, the respective movable members are elevated to the desired position by means of the rear ropes or cords 15. Furthermore, since each of the guide-rods or posts are preferably pivotally mounted within a rack frame or to the ceiling and floor, it is possible to display the goods at their best advantage. If it is desired to remove the merchandise from one of the arms of the display rack or to closely examine the goods, one of the ropes or cords 16 is actuated, and when suflicient tension is applied thereto, the rack tooth of the trigger 17 will be released from its recess or notch 7, permitting the movable merchandise retaining member carrying the sleeve and radial arm to descend.

This display rack is constructed in an ornamental and attractive manner, and as these movable members are provided, at their upper rear ends, with anti-friction rollers or bearings, their bodies being closed on three sides, as shown, and having metal straps or bands at their lower ends of sufiicient dimensions to permit, when desired, of slight lateral play and action, it is obvious that the same can be regulated with a minimum of labor andeflfort. This ease of operation isv possible because the ratchet tooth, as shown, is located at the lower end of the sleeve 8; and the juncture of the arm 9 and guide member 5 forms a pivotal point about which the retaining member is swung outwardly from the guide member, so that the tooth swings in a wide radius, thus permitting its removal without any great movement of the inner end of the arm from the guide member. And, because of the great weight which may be placed upon the retaining member, it would at timesbe difficult to move the sleeve 8 and the arm 9 (which at all times moves with the sleeve) sufiicient' to engage the rack tooth from the recess 7, if any great degree of movement were necessary to accomplish this. It is furthermore undesirable, for obvious reasons, to have any great amount of play between the end of the arm and the guide member, which play is not necessary with the tooth located in the manner shown.

Without specifically limiting myself to the aforesaid construction, I claim:

In a display rack, a vertically disposed rotatable hollow post of square shape in cross-section throughout its length and having openings at intervals in its front face, a U-shaped sleeve slidable on the post and embracing its front and side faces, an arm fixed on the upper end of the sleeve at right angles thereto and having a bearing roller traversing the rear face of said post, a yoke surrounding the post and integral with the lower end of said sleeve to guide it to and from the post on slight arcuate movement of the sleeve relative to the post, a nose projecting outwardly directly opposite the yoke from the inner face of the sleeve whereby on the lowering thereof the said nose will engage the openings and on raising the said sleeve it will automatically disengage from said openings in the post, a pulley journaled in the upper end of the post and pull cables connected to the lower end of the sleeve and the arm, respectively, the cable connected to the arm being trained over the pulley, the cable connected to the lower end of the sleeve being adapted to release the nose from an opening when said pull cable is drawn upon.

ARTHUR T. EDWARDS.

Witnesses C. M. Pnnwnrr,

FRANK LOESER. 

